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The Dark Crystal
(From left to right)
Tim, Mystic, Skeksis Sirs, Ma'ams: How are you?
I've just dropped Caitlin off at work and am now looking forward to an afternoon's cruising around Downtown Richmond in the Miata. The seats are still wet from driving back through a downpour last night, from an outdoor concert in the Botanic Gardens . Thankfully the thunderstorm held off until "Special Ed and the Short Bus" had finished their set. It's difficult to pick out a favourite song but the highlights were definitely the dolphin chorus and the armpit solo. Wet pants seem to be a way of life here.
Back on Roslyn Hills Drive, I spent a very pleasant evening sitting out on the porch under a stormy Southern sky, with the frogs croaking and the fireflies flirting, in the delightful company of a couple of chilled Newcastle Brown ales, a trio of delicious brownies and a quartet of
charming ladies: Caitlin, Victoria (C's wonderful mum), Declan (thoughtful friend recently returned from Spain) and Alice (friend, and maker of brownies and pasta extraodinaire) discussing the finer points of American and English Literature. Then we retired to the lounge with James, Caitlin's dad, to discuss Harry Potter. Tonight there is to be a barbecue.
Antique Tables Made Daily
I wouldn't buy an antique table in Sperryville. I think I should take a moment here to thank the Wilson family for their kind hospitality and for making my stay so far so comfortable.
(Quick break to do the laundry - back in a second)
OK - time to wind back a few days and fill you in on all that's happened since I arrived in Washington what seems like so long ago...
Of course, we did all of the touristy things - the Washington Monument (tall), Lincoln Memorial (historical), various war memorials (thought-provoking), the White House (errr - white but not particularly housey) and that was great - to finally see all the buildings you normally only see on the Simpsons. We also went to the rather eclectic History and Technology Museum (a highlight - see the photograph). This is part of the collection of Smithsonian Museums - founded at the bequest (don't you know) by Mr Smithson, a British man who had never set foot on American soil. He must have thought the Americans needed some educating I guess. Or perhaps he just wanted to get up the nose of his Alma Mater, Oxford.
That night we went to see "An
Down by the stream
Follow me follow, to Nicholson Hollow, there in the shallow, with glorious beer. Inconvenient Truth" - Al Gore's slide-show turned movie about climate-change. A very eloquent, saddening yet hopeful exposition of the damage we are doing to our only home and what we can do yet to save it. I thoroughly recommend, no -
urge - everyone who reads this to
see it and take action. Please visit
the Climate Crisis website.
The next day we spent at the National Zoo - a very fine zoo indeed. Although there weren't any penguins, there were beavers, wolves and capybaras to make up. Quite the most captivating animals are the giant panda and her one-year-old son Tai Shan. The former munched her way through a plantation of bamboo while her baby was clinging precariously to a branch of a tree above her. Sooooo cuuute.
Soon to a much closer encounter with their rather less cute cousin...
After the zoo we headed across to Front Royal (see photograph) and picked up the Skyline Drive south into Shenandoah National Park.
With the dishwasher now washing the dishes ready for the party tonight, I'll admit to a bit of anxiety here, which is unusual as normally I would go headfirst into a four-day hike with
Old Rag
Tim and Caitlin on top of the world. few doubts or concerns and this was but a couple of days' walking in the woods. But this was also different - we were in unknown territory, about to camp wild and the sun was slowly but surely making its way down to the horizon, and darkness. But of course, as always, there really was no reason for apprehension. A very helpful park ranger gave us a map and our camping permit and showed us where the best campsites were. We were planning to camp in Whiteoak Canyon but she did an excellent job of dissuading us - "it's a very popular area - with heavy use, so we don't encourage people to go there... And there are lots of snakes and bears." Right. Nicholson Hollow it was then.
We found the clearing easily enough, pitched camp and made an effort to hang our food up out of reach of pesky varmints. (The dark makes everything seem further away and we found to our concern in the light of the morning that our food-tree was actually, relatively speaking, right next to our tent). We then settled down next to the stream with dinner and a beer and watched the
Bear!
Let's go back the other way.. lightning bugs dance as the moon rose. Perfect.
The next morning it was up bright and early for the hike up "Old Rag" - that, according to the literature, was a strenuous hike. I openly shared my doubts about that at the start- it's only a little higher than Snowdon, but I think I must be out of shape because it was actually reasonably tough going. (How I'm going to climb the worlds' "highest" mountain I don't know...) But it was a splendid hike by all accounts - finishing as it does with a fine extended scramble through the summit-ridge rocks to breathtaking views west over Shenandoah Valley (of "Country Roads" fame) and east over the Blue Ridge mountains. This day was capped off by a dip in our stream (we have now taken ownership of our little stretch of the hollow), dinner and a few more beers. Magical.
On Wednesday morning we struck camp and made our way south down Skyline Drive. The views on either side as the road follows the crest of the mountains are simply stunning. A quick stop for a cuppa then on to our next hike - to pick up Whiteoak Canyon. The going was never too steep as we followed the river downstream through the canyon to a spectacular 86' waterfall where we stopped for lunch and to chat to a couple of hardened hikers (who Caitlin thought brought to mind Bill Bryson's companion Katz who starred in "A Walk in the Woods" about the Appalachian trail which passes nearby). We paused on the way back up to take a dip in a pool which was invigorating and with pants suitably wetted continued onwards. Then -
Tim:
My goodness
(Sadly not my exact choice of words).
look - a bear
Caitlin:
oh my! and it's black
.
We had discussed on the drive down what we should do if we encounter a bear. I had read that you should either make yourself look big and intimidating (thankfully not too difficult in my case) and make lots of noise to try and scare it away, or else walk away very slowly. Caitlin had read two completely different things: either play dead (yeah, right) or run as fast as you can downhill.
Now I can tell you what the actual response is - in Caitlin's case it was to hide behind a tree. In my case it was to hide behind Caitlin. Thankfully the bear wasn't too close and I managed to get some footage of it (to be posted). The dialogue runs: Caitlin - "Let's go back the other way". Tim - "You think so?". Caitlin - "Uh-huh.".
So we went back the other way and encountered it again on the other path. This time it stopped and looked at us for slightly longer and our response was to walk very quietly away. My senses of hearing and sight were somewhat heightened after that, and every chipmunk, bird or tree-stump was a potential bear.
Back to the parking lot and civilisation with a huge sigh of relief then on to Richmond, via Charlottesville for lunch and flowers, to where the story began.
Take care y'all.
Tim
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Dad
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Frogs
Plenty of Frogs, real and human, at 27, but no croaking. I have rebuilt their home. Only Gregory the Black Bear, and he is placid. Great Blog.